11 - Week 2 2ieme: A little wet behind the ears - Geneve

Tuesday, March 04

It was a day of ups and downs that ended more up than down.  Well, it was only really 1.5 down.  First, I saw an email response from the CMS saying that Saturday was filling up quickly and they weren't sure if I'd be able to go.  Really?  Yesterday, you ask me out of the blue how many people for a date 6 days later and now you're saying it might not even be an option?  What kinda reservation system is?  Anyhow, I've scrapped the idea of asking people on the team to go and asked if I could simply capture 3 spots; fortunately, I hadn't sent the invitation out yet. 

In comparison, the reaming 0.5 down seems like insecure drivel: a surprise invitation to coffee and croissants in the chemist building led to an awkward introduction conversation with a chemist who's presentation I'd seen last week.  It was a good reminder that I really need to work on my introduction; this is as much about them getting to know me as it me them.  Still, it wasn't a complete loss, just me being my awkward self.  

From there, the day went pretty well.  In terms of actual work accomplished, not too much to show for it in terms of calcs but I still feel fairly accomplished 😆 There were plenty of good conversations to make up for my false start in the morning.  I learned about the Swiss Wall at the Matterhorn which has a slope of 90 degrees, met an automation engineer, and went 45 minutes over our original meeting slot while discussing with one of the chemists about their work.  I really need to revisit my organic chemistry studies when I get home; even if I never spend a day in the lab, I'm realizing how important it is to have a basic understanding of the work these scientists do.  

The evening started about 30 minutes earlier than usual, thanks to me taking the 5:23 train back to Geneva.  Since it was really nice, I opted not to head home right away and managed to watch the jet d'eau shut off at 6:25.  A bit of walking at sunset and a bit of tram improvisation had me home in time to make the 10 minute walk to the pool closest to me.  Entry to the pool is managed by a kiosk ticket with card payment, which I thought was a neat way to reduce operating cost and it seemed pretty self-explanatory.  The building also had a basketball court, judo classes going on, and a water polo team getting into the water once lap swim was complete.  

After a fondue dinner, I did a little price comparison for train ticket options for the remainder of my trip.  I think that if I buy a 6-day flexible train pass on Thursday, that should cover the majority of my travel and museum costs; the pass only lasts a month but in that time period I'll have averaged 70CHF for my travel days, which might be the cheapest option for me compared to the half-tariff card or even buying day passes and locking in travel dates.  I'll discuss with colleagues tomorrow but I'll have to take action on Thursday.  

Sunset on Lac Leman.  Seeing the jet d'eau turn off was like watching a Xmas tree implode in the wind, it just ceased to exist and the last wisps trailed away.

A neat system for managing activities at the beach park, stuff in the cabinets ranged from cones and a small soccer ball to a kettle bell for exercise.

I guess it is a warm winter if the crocus is already blooming.

I wanted to snap a photo of the pool but walked to the corner to avoid the water polo guys seeing me stop to snap a picture of a bunch of mecs in speedos.